b. 19 May 1918, on a farm near Kansas City, Missouri, USA, d. 9 April 1997, Carmel, California, USA. While attending the University of Texas, in 1938, Hicks was offered an announcing job on a local Austin station. It turned out to be with the country music programme of Wilbert Lee O’Daniel, then Governor of Texas. In 1941, he worked as a disc jockey and sang on KABC San Antonio and WBAP Fort Worth, where working with Ernest Tubb converted him completely to country music. He relocated to Dallas, in 1942 and worked with the Callahan Brothers and Jim Boyd on different stations. He later appeared with Jimmy Heap and Adolph Hofner at other venues. In 1946, he returned to KRLD Dallas, a powerful station whose transmissions could even be received in Canada and Mexico. Here he first presented the Cornbread Matinee, a daily live show before taking over the newBig “D” Jamboree. He compèred and sang on this show for 10 years, first on radio and later when it moved to television. He also did fourHillbilly Hit Parade record shows weekly. He recorded for Columbia Records and wrote many songs including the patriotic story of the recalled soldier ‘I Thought I Was Home To Stay’, a sort of tribute to Bob Wills ‘I Can’t Get Enough Of That Ah-Ha’ and the semi-weepy story of a blind man ‘The Man On The Corner’. Hicks retired to California in the 60s but even then he presented hisJohnny Hick’s Country Gold on KTOM Salinas.